1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for storing diagnostic image information, and more particularly to an improvement in supplementary information which is stored attached to diagnostic image information.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image is often stored by storing an image signal representing the image in a storage medium such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc or the like.
In the medical field, a diagnostic image of a patient is taken by a CR system, a CT system or the like, and the diagnostic image is generally recorded on photographic film or the like for diagnosis. At the same time, the diagnostic image is stored in various storage media as a digital image signal or the like for later use, for instance, for inspecting change with time of the condition of the patient. Further such diagnostic image information is generally stored together with supplementary information such as information for identifying the patient, e.g., name, age, sex, ID number and the like of the patient, information for identifying the image, e.g., the number of the image, the date of taking the image, and the like, information on the taking condition, e.g., the kind of the system by which the image was taken, the direction of taking the image, the kind of the contrast agent and the like, and parameters used in processing the image.
Further the diagnostic image information is not only reproduced as an image recorded on a photographic film or the like but also often used in diagnosis as an image displayed on a display system such as a CRT or the like. Displaying the image on a display system is advantageous over recording the image on a photosensitive material in that the image can be output in a time shorter than when the image is recorded on the photosensitive material and a disadvantage that the photosensitive material is consumed in vain in the case the user carries out an image processing on the basis of trial and error can be avoided.
However the quality of the image displayed on the display system is affected, for instance, by properties of the display system such as the degree of deterioration of the system, the environment in which the system stands and the image processing which the user added for the purpose of diagnosis.
Accordingly, if a doctor makes a diagnosis on the basis of a diagnostic image displayed under a certain viewing condition, the same result cannot be always obtained when the same doctor makes a diagnosis later on the basis of the same diagnostic image displayed on the same display system under a different viewing condition. This can result in an event that the base of diagnosis in the first diagnosis cannot be known.